Bend Studio Dev Says 'We Still Plan on Creating Cool S**t' After Sony Live Service Cancelation

Bend Studio, the developer behind Days Gone, remains committed to creating exciting new games despite Sony's cancellation of its unannounced live-service title. This follows Sony's recent decision to scrap two unannounced live-service projects, one from Bend Studio and another from Bluepoint Games (reportedly a God of War live-service game). While Sony confirmed the cancellations, assuring that neither studio would be closed, the company's live-service strategy has faced significant challenges.

Sony's track record in the live-service arena has been mixed, at best. While Helldivers 2 achieved phenomenal success, becoming the fastest-selling PlayStation Studios game ever, other ventures, such as Concord, have ended disastrously. Concord's swift shutdown highlighted the risks associated with Sony's live-service push, a point echoed by former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida, who expressed reservations about the company's approach.

Bend Studio's community manager, Kevin McAllister, reassured fans via Twitter, stating their intention to continue developing "cool stuff." This follows Sony's acknowledgment of lessons learned from both the success of Helldivers 2 and the failure of Concord. Sony's president, Hiroki Totoki, pointed to the need for earlier user testing and internal evaluations, as well as addressing internal organizational silos that hindered effective development and marketing. The timing of Concord's release, close to the launch of Black Myth: Wukong, was also cited as a contributing factor to its failure.

Sony's senior vice president for finance, Sadahiko Hayakawa, emphasized the valuable lessons learned from both Helldivers 2 and Concord, intending to share this knowledge across its studios to improve future live-service game development and management. The company plans to balance its portfolio, focusing on its strengths in single-player titles with proven IPs alongside live-service games, acknowledging the inherent risks involved.

Despite these setbacks, several PlayStation live-service games are still under development, including Marathon (Bungie), Horizon Online (Guerrilla), and Fairgame$ (Haven Studio). The future of Sony's live-service ambitions remains to be seen, but the company's commitment to learning from past mistakes suggests a more cautious and strategic approach moving forward.